How Tara Met Jax
by austinmomma93
Summary: This is my submission to the recent contest that was held on the Sons of Anarchy Fanfiction FB page.
1. Chapter 1

After the services at the church, 11 year old Tara Grace Knowles found herself surrounded by many tear-stained strangers milling about the house she called home. Except it didn't feel like home. Her mother was across town, in a box, covered with dirt; the plot blanketed with flower arrangements. To Tara, this house would no longer feel like the happy safe home she had always known.

As she walked through the dining room into the kitchen, she witnessed more of the tears and red faces of all those who knew Abigail Knowles. Abigail had been very active in the community, volunteering for almost every activity that she could find. Young Tara didn't know at the time, but Abigail had found any and every reason to stay away from home once Howard started drinking.

Howard Knowles had been an electrician for a high-end company who suddenly went belly up and laid off all employees. After that, Howard had gotten depressed and began his daily routine of drinking away all feelings; numbing the pain of being a failure. And when he got drunk, he got mean and Abigail kept away as much as possible.

Tara noticed her dad standing in the corner of the living room, talking to a neighbor. Tara knew this woman. She had seen the woman around town when she would be working with her mom at some function. Tara thought the woman must have the same type of home life as Abigail since she was always investing her time in the same fundraisers and charity events.

Tara stood there and observed the two adults conversing. Howard, of course, had his favored flask in his hand, sipping constantly from it. Tara knew what it held. Bourbon. The stench of the brown liquor permeated throughout the Knowles house. The woman, whom Tara had overheard being called Mrs. Teller, didn't seem to notice though. She stood there dressed in a knee-length black sleeveless sheath dress. The fingers on both hands were adorned with a multitude of baubles. Her dark brown hair laid in loose curls down her back. The spiked black heels she wore caused her to tower over most of the other ladies in attendance and some men.

Mrs. Teller looked toward Tara and their eyes locked. Her brown eyes held a certain sadness as she gazed at Tara. Before getting pulled into another conversation about how her mother was "such a good woman and will be missed terribly" Tara turned and walked down the short hallway to her room and shut the door. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Tara slumped her shoulders and let the tears silently fall down her cheeks. She could stand to hear another person's version of the kind of woman Abigail had been. It didn't change the fact the she was gone. Dead. Never coming back. Tara's mother would never tuck her into bed again. Would never help out another charity in town again. She would never be there for her daughter. And that was what made Tara's heart ache.

There were things left unsaid. Things left undone. Tara knew enough to know that in a few years she would be hitting the life-changing stages in her life and now there was no one there to talk to and figure it all out.

As Tara wiped the tears from her face, she heard laughter. Such a weird sound at this time. But yet, right outside her window she could hear it. She walked to her window and looked out. At first she didn't see anything but then something caught her attention out of the corner of her left eye. Opening her window, she caught a whiff of smoke. Cigarette smoke. Looking toward her left, she caught her neighbor's son and another couple of kids huddled together, encompassed in a shroud of smoke.

"Hey Tara," the tallest of the group spoke up when he noticed Tara leaning out her window. "Didn't mean to bother you."

"What are you doing Opie? Hiding out back, smoking?" Tara asked, surprised. "Where'd you get those?"

"I stole them," a short brown haired girl said. "Want a drag?"

"Shut up Irene. Tara doesn't smoke." Opie said, slapping the girl's hand down as she offered the cigarette to Tara.

"Sure," Tara spoke up, looking at Opie grinning. "How do you know I don't smoke Harry Winston?"

Tara took the bud from Irene and stuck the butt into her mouth. Taking a long drag she felt the smoke enter her mouth and swallowed. She held her breath until she had handed the cigarette back to Irene and then gave into the coughing fit she had felt as soon as the smoke had hit her lungs.

Opie's friends all laughed but Opie looked at Tara with a sadness in his eyes. He knew she was just trying to fit in, but he also knew that this wasn't the way to do it.

"That's how I know," he said.

"Shut up!" Tara yelled between coughing.

She closed the window and walked back to her bed and toppled onto it. The coughing spasm finally subsided and Tara lay there looking up at the ceiling. Harry "Opie" Winston was not only her neighbor but he was her friend. He was a couple years older than her but he had always talked to her and seemed nice. A lot nicer than most of the kids in the area. Tara would never tell anyone but she had a small crush on the boy.

Feeling the tears sliding down her face, she batted them away. At the sound of a light knock on her window Tara turned away from the window. She sure didn't want Opie or any of his friends to see her cry. Tara stared at the picture of her and her mom that sat on the nightstand beside her bed. The picture was taken 7 years ago when Howard and Abigail had surprised Tara with a birthday trip to the beach. Abigail was standing on the beach, royal blue bathing dress on with her golden brown locks blowing in the wind. Tara was dressed in a little red, white and blue toddler bikini with her auburn brown hair pulled up into pigtails. Tara barely remembered the trip but she remembered being enamored with the water. She was amazed as the water rolled up onto the shore. Howard had walked with her into the tide and watched as his daughter became excited each time the water rushed in over her toes and then receded back into the ocean.

Tara thought about the fact that she would never ever get to experience anything like that again. Her mother was dead and her dad was already starting to show signs of being more interested in drowning his pain in liquor than counseling and helping his only daughter to adjust to all these new changes she was having to endure in her young life.

"Tara, I know you're in there," Opie said through the thin-paned window. "I can see you lying on your bed ignoring me. C'mon T, open up. It's just me out here now."

Tara looked at the picture one more time before getting up and walking over to the window and unlatched it. Sliding the window open, she looked at her friend. His shaggy hair was unkempt and looked to have not been washed in a few days. His hazel green eyes were, to Tara, a gateway to the real Harry "Opie" Winston. You could see his real feelings and thoughts if you took time to just look.

"What is it, Op? Your friends get tired of making fun me?"

"No," Opie said. "I told them to go. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I know this day must be hard for you. I just wanted to let you know I'm here if you need me."

Tara smiled up at him. "I just wish all the people would just leave. I don't like them watching me, asking if I'm okay. My mom's gone, how can I be okay?"

"I know. I mean, I don't know. I still have my mom but all she and dad do anymore is argue and fight over that motorcycle club he's involved in. I sometimes wish one of them would just leave. It'd be a lot quieter in my house."

"Opie Winston! Don't you dare wish something like that! Be happy that your parents are alive and there to argue. I would love to be able to hear my mom's voice once more. I would love to be able to go to her and ask her something. I have no one now Op," Tara said, voice breaking. "Dad has already started drinking. He doesn't even notice me when I'm around. Only thing he cares about is that his bottle isn't empty."

"Sorry T. I really am," Opie said, laying his hand on Tara's shoulder. "I'm here for you though. We're friends right?"

"Yea, I guess. Thanks Op."

 **4 years later**

Howard Knowles was known as the town drunk. Numerous times 15 year old Tara would be awakened in the middle of the night by cops knocking on her door, bringing a barely conscious Howard home.

For a couple of years after his wife's death, Howard had tried to hide his drinking as a coping mechanism. But after not being able to find a job at all after Abigail death, he had taken to going and sitting at the tavern to drown out his failures and depression.

The anniversary of his and Abigail's marriage was rapidly approaching and Howard found himself once again being taxied home by the town's sheriff, Wayne Unser. He knew that his late night homecoming would once again wake Tara and she'd be tasked with getting him into the house and to his favorite recliner.

Howard did feel guilty of putting all of this on Tara. Tara, his only child, was in high school now. Was she a freshman or sophomore? Howard couldn't remember at this time. All he knew was that she must be doing pretty well in class because she was always locked in her room, studying. 'She takes after her mother in that respect,' he thought. He was never much on schoolwork or even going to school for that matter. He had lucked up when he was 17 and found that he was most interested in the workings of electricity. At 17, he straightened up and put all his efforts into learning this trade to make a career out of it.

And he had. At 20, he'd landed the job with Elegatricity and skyrocketed to top electrician in his department. At 21 he and Abigail had gotten married and eagerly began trying to start a family. Ten months after their wedding, there were blessed with a baby girl, Tara Grace. The three of them had been so happy.

Sheriff Unser stopped his cruiser outside the Knowles home, bringing Howard out of his reminiscing.

"We're here Howard," Unser said as he opened the back door of the sedan. "Let's get you inside."

Howard allowed the sheriff to help him up the steps to his front door and watched as the man knocked on the darkened door.

Tara had heard the car pull up outside and was waiting in the hallway for the same nightly ritual. A rap on the door and when she opened it, she would be confronted with her drunk-on-his-ass father and a request from the local law officer to get her dad some help. Oh if it was only that easy, Tara thought. Howard would of course apologize and promise to do better by his daughter before passing out in his favorite chair. And then the next day, it would start all over again.

Tara would have to try to find out where her dad had left the car and go retrieve it. At 15, she wasn't legally able to drive but that didn't stop her from having to drive the Cutlass from whatever street it was parked on back to her house.

"Sheriff Unser. What a surprise," Tara said as she opened the door. "I got it from here."

"Miss Knowles," Unser responded, nodding his head at the teenager. "He needed a little help home tonight."

"Thank you."

Howard allowed Tara to slide under his arm and leaned into her. Tara guided her dad through the door, kicking it shut after they entered and helped him over to his recliner in the corner. Her father hadn't slept in his bed since the day after her mom's funeral. He never made it past the recliner.

"I'm so sorry, Tara. I tried. I really tried. I just can't get over the fact that she's gone. Gone for good. There just isn't any reason for me anymore."

"I know Dad. I know."

"Do you? Really? Do you understand how hard it is for me?"

And here it comes, Tara thought. Here comes all the reasons that it's all my fault.

"Dad, can we not do this tonight. It's late and I have a big test tomorrow."

"I'm sorry. I'm proud of you, you know. I never had a head for book work. I hated it. I'm so glad you took after your mother. She was so smart. So smart and so beautiful," Howard continued, his voice cracking. "I never in a million years thought I had a chance with her, you know. Never thought she'd look my way twice. I was so lucky."

Tara saw the tears fall from her dad's eyes but it was such a normal occurrence that they no longer affected Tara. She was pretty accustomed to her dad's grieving. As much as he tried to drink it all away, when he got like this, his mourning usually took over and he flashed back to the "good old days" and long after Tara would return to bed, she could hear him weeping into his drink.

The next day, Tara overslept and had to rush to get ready. She left her dad passed out in the living room and walked to Tizzy's Tavern to talk to the bartender who had taken her dad's keys the night before.

"Joe." Tara said as she walked toward the cutlass, where the bartender was leaning on the front quarter panel of the black coupe. "How bad was it?"

"Oh nothing unusual. Just a lot of crying and reminiscing. He still talks highly of you, you know. He's so proud of you," the tall slim man said, smiling at the teenager he had come to know well. "How is school?"

Tara smiled back at Joe as she slung her book bag onto the passenger seat of the vehicle. "Oh you know. It's school. I can't wait to get out of it. Only two more weeks until summer break though. I'm ready for a break. But I'm thinking of getting a job. Know of anything?"

Joe pinched his chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Hmmm, well I think I heard that Hal's Hardware was hiring some summer interns. You think you could handle working and dealing with, you know, everything?" Joe asked, not wanting to vocalize the problems at home.

"I'd rather be at work than home. School takes a lot of my time during the year but the summer months, I've always been stuck at home, waiting for the nightly process of him being brought home and having to deal with hearing his ramblings. I'm ready to get out of there."

"Well, good luck to you then. And no speeding taking this baby home. You don't need to get a ticket. Do you even have a license?" Joe asked, as Tara got behind the steering wheel.

Laughing, Tara started the engine and looked up at Joe. "You know the answer to that. You just refuse to admit it."

Joe shut the door once Tara was in the carriage and watched her drive out of the parking lot of the tavern. He had watched her drive away for two years now. Shaking his head, he turned to walk around to the back of the tavern where his apartment was.

Tara glanced at her watch as she drove through town. She had spent too much time talking to Joe. There was no way she would be able to drive home and then walk to the school without being late. In a haste, she made the decision to just drive to school and take the Cutlass home during lunch period. That would mean she would have to jog back to the school but she'd rather deal with being sweaty and smelly than deal with her dad going off on her if she waited until after school to get the car back home.

Pulling into the parking lot at the school, Tara drove around looking for a space to pull into. In the corner of the lot she saw her best friend Opie leaning onto his latest ride, a Harley that his dad had given him for his 16th birthday. Seeing the Knowles car pull in, Opie jumped onto his feet and motioned Tara to pull into the space beside him.

"Tara Knowles. You done went rogue,"Opie laughed as Tara put the car in park and cut off the engine. "Stealing your old man's cage." He opened the door for her and grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting up and spinning around before putting her back down.

"Opie Winston! Put me down!" Tara squealed. Once her feet were planted back on solid ground, Tara slapped her best friend on the arm. "You know I hate when you do that. I feel like I'm in the ozone."

Opie smiled down at his only girl friend. Opie had gotten taller in the last year. His height had sprouted to a whole foot, going from a 5'6 junior to a 6'4" senior. He was the tallest person in the whole Charming High. Opie Winston towered over everyone, including teachers and staff. Tara and Opie had become really good friends in the last year and a half, since Opie's mom had given his dad an ultimatum, either her and their son or the motorcycle club he was entwined in. In the end, Piney Winston had chosen the Sons of Anarchy and Mary Winston had left. Opie, with typical teenage angst, had fought against going with his mom. So much so, that Mary had left him with his father. Now he was prospecting for the club and riding around town on that "deathmobile" as Tara called it.

The school bell rang and Opie slung his arm around Tara's shoulder as they marched toward the building to get another day of classes in the books. As they approached the door, the loud rumblings of more deathmobiles filled the air as more of Opie's buddies from the motorcycle club. Tara sighed as Opie squeezed her shoulder and left her to go catch up with them, leaving her to enter the school alone once again. Not that Tara minded, but it was nice to be able to walk through the halls with someone to converse with. Tara had never been a social butterfly so most of her classmates and upper and lower classes ignored her.

Opie had never once attempted to introduce her to his motorcycle club buddies, which in the back of Tara's mind made her ponder if he was embarrassed by her too. She really hoped not because Harry "Opie" Winston was her one and only friend, the one that she had come to depend on when times at home got tough. More than once, Tara had found herself running to Opie in hopes that he could help her figure out how to change her home life. Opie had held her close, allowing her to cry on his shoulder the first time Howard had come home drunk and slapped her across the face for "looking so much like her."

Opie had been her shelter each time she had to deal with Howard's drunken malice telling her that home wasn't where she needed to be at that time, it wasn't a safe place for her and pleaded her to stay with him that night, fearful that if she returned home, her dad would still be drunk and try hitting her again.

So they snuck an extra blanket and pillow into Opie's room and Opie had slept on the floor at the foot of the bed while Tara got a good night's sleep in his bed. Unbeknownst to Tara, for weeks after that night, Opie slept with his nose in the pillow, breathing in her scent. Opie would never tell Tara of his crush, apprehensive that it would change the whole dynamic of their friendship.

In economics class, the only class that Tara and Opie shared, Tara wasn't too surprised to find that Opie was absent once again. She would have to reprimand him for missing so much school. If he ever planned to graduate he was going to have to really buckle down and attend class. Even though the class was deemed elective, Tara recognized the importance of the class, though many of her classmates apparently were in it just for the fun of it.

Sitting at her desk, Tara laid her bag onto the surface and grabbed the Intro to Economics textbook, completely disregarding the stares that she could feel from the other students in the room. The teacher entered, the room quieted down and class began with Tara concentrating on the day's assignment and not the fact that Opie wasn't there to protect her from all the whispers she heard through the room each time she answered a question. "Teacher's pet." "Goody two-shoes." And her all-time favorite, "Orphaned prude."

Whatever dimwit came up with that one needed a lesson in the definition of an orphan, Opie had said vowing to find the culprit and beat the interpretation of orphan into him/her. Thankfully Tara had talked him down and he had let it go. All she had allowed Opie to do was put word out that if he heard anyone bad-mouthing Tara, they'd have to deal with him.

Now that Opie was playing hooky with his motorcycle buddies, the whispers and stares were becoming a daily occurrence again. Tara just put her back up and tried to get through the day as if none of it bothered her. She knew that was the only way she was going to be able to endure the rest of school without any friends.

At lunch, instead of heading to the cafeteria, Tara walked to the parking lot and climbed into the Cutlass. She was not surprised that Opie's bike was missing. God only knows where he took off to. Tara wondered if he even made it to homeroom before he disappeared.

Driving carefully through town, Tara watched her speed and was on the lookout for any cops that might see her and know she wasn't old enough to be behind the wheel. Passing by the entrance to the Teller Morrow garage, Tara risked a glimpse inside the gates, hoping to set eyes on her friend. She knew that if Opie wasn't at school, he more than likely was at the garage/motorcycle club hangout.

Out of the corner of her eye, she almost didn't see the bikers come careening off the lot. She slammed on the brakes, whipping the wheel away from the imminent crash she was afraid of. None of the 20 or so bikers even glanced her way as they left the lot and sped away. Now that she was at a standstill right outside the gates to the garage, she could clearly see that Opie was in the garage, tinkering away on some beat up sedan. Beside him was another teenager, a male. Or what Tara could only imagine was a guy, seeing him only from the waist down. The other teenager was bent down and had his torso and head underneath the hood of the clunker.

Tara squinted against the bright sunlight to try to see if she could identify this unknown person. He wasn't as tall as Opie but was still pretty tall. He had long, lanky legs and bright white tennis shoes on. Tara thought that was odd to have such nice clean shoes on in the greasy, oil-covered garage area.

Something the fellow mechanic said must have been funny, causing Opie to throw his head back and laugh. As he finished laughing, Opie caught sight of Tara sitting outside the gates and wiped his hands on a rag. Saying something to his friend, Opie began walking across the parking lot toward her.

"Hey T. What are you doing? Spying on me because I skipped out again?" Opie said, laughing.

Tara felt her cheeks blush. She hadn't meant to be caught gawking into the garage lot. She smiled as Opie leaned over and looked at her through the passenger side window. "No, Op! I was just taking the car back home and almost got sideswiped by your buddies."

Opie pulled a cigarette pack out of his pocket and slid one out. Lighting the end of it, he took a long drag and blew the smoke out over the top of the vehicle.

"Take the cage home and I'll come by and pick you up and take you back to school. Don't worry, I'll borrow my dad's cage. I won't make you ride bitch on my bike, promise." Opie added, sensing Tara's trepidation.

Looking at her watch, Tara considered the offer since she'd never make it back before final bell even if she ran full sprint.

"Okay. But you can't take me all the way to the school. Principal Lewis sees you and it's an easy 4-week suspension. You can drop me off around the back of Charming Grocery."

Opie stepped back from the vehicle and Tara pulled away from her friend, heading to her house. She was hesitant about hitching a ride with Opie. She'd never been in a vehicle with him and from watching him drive his bike, she knew that speed limits and highway etiquette was not his strong suit. Lord just let me get back to school, Tara thought as she pulled into the driveway at her house.

Tara unlocked the front door to her home and was met with the stench of day old bourbon and ashtray. Howard Knowles was still passed out in his recliner in the corner. Tara hung the keys on the hook by the door and closed it behind her as she left.

She walked to the end of the driveway to wait on her ride from Opie. Tara knew it was going to take him a minute to outtalk his dad into letting him use the Cadillac. Tara just hoped her name wasn't brought up. She didn't need to be on any dad radar.

Seeing a tow truck pull onto her street she shaded her eyes to see that it was Opie driving the truck down the street, heading her way. Tara breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that Opie was actually obeying the rules and not zooming down the lane. That relief quickly vanished when she realized that Opie was not alone. In the passenger seat was a boy, looking to be about the same age as Opie.

The truck pulled up along the sidewalk in front of Tara's house and parked. Tara watched as the guy, with long straight dirty blonde hair stepped out. He wore a red flannel shirt with a white tank. The same oil-stained jeans and white sneakers caused Tara to realize that she was looking at the fellow mechanic that she had seen Opie talking to earlier.

The boy leaned against the open truck door and smiled at her. A dazzling smile that reached all the way to his crystal blue eyes. "Hey darlin'. Harry said you needed a lift, thought I'd come along. Meet the infamous Tara that he's always rambling on about."

Tara looked past the modern day Adonis into the cab of the truck at Opie. He just shook his head and laughed. "Tara, this is Jax. Ignore him, he's full of shit. Come on and climb in so I can get you back to school before you're late."

Realizing she was going to be squeezed in between the two buys, Tara grimaced. "Don't worry. I don't bite," Jax said as he moved aside for Tara to crawl into the truck. As she passed him, Jax leaned over and whispered, "hard. I don't bite too hard." into her ear.

Tara looked at him, surprised. She had just met him and he was already flirting. Most of the time people who met Tara, as soon as they had a chance they ran the other way. She was not a social butterfly and folks usually caught onto that pretty quick, leaving her to herself.

Jax got back into the truck and slung the door shut. Tara felt uncomfortable being in such close proximity to someone like Jax. He was gorgeous. Too gorgeous for his own good, Tara could sense that Jax knew just how to use his looks to get what he wanted.

Knowing she'd probably never be a blip on his radar, she concentrated on Opie's driving and thinking about her next class.

As they pulled behind Charming Grocery, Tara was surprised to realize that she was sorry that the ride was over. She had been scrunched in between the boy she's once had a crush on and the attractive Jax. That never happened. Not to Tara.

Jax opened the door and exited the truck, holding the door open for her. Tara thanked Opie and slid across the seat to get out of the truck. As she turned to thank Opie again for the lift, Jax grabbed her hand. "Need a lift later? I'll be your personal escort home."

Tara looked down at their hands and could feel her palms getting sweaty. "Um, no thanks. I usually walk home after school anyways."

Standing at the back entrance to the grocery store, Tara watched as Opie and Jax drove away. She was astonished at the way she was feeling. Jax had made her feel all gooey inside and her palms were clammy. She'd never felt that way over a boy, not even Opie. Sure she's crushed on Opie, daydreaming about how it would feel to kiss him and hug him but she'd never felt like she did at this minute.

Shaking her head to try to free the thoughts that were going through her head, Tara went back to school to finish out the day so she could get home and do homework, clean and cook dinner before her dad took off for another night on the town.

 **Three hours later**

Tara finished getting her books out of her locker and loading them into her book bag and walked toward the north end of the building.

There was a group of upperclassmen lingering around the doors, mostly females. As she got closer, Tara heard whispers like "who's he here for?", "I'd like him to take me for a ride" and "Teller Morrow". At the mention of the Teller Morrow garage, Tara began trying to pay better attention but seeing as none of the crowd were identifiable to her as friends, she couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on.

Tara pushed through the throng of onlookers and walked out of the building. The sight before her eyes made her stop dead in her tracks. Leaning against his bike was Jax. He had cleaned up, forgoing the oil-stained jeans and flannel shirt. Now he had on a pair of clean tight jeans and black tee that had the word SAMCRO written in white across the chest and a backward baseball cap.

When Jax saw her, he pushed off his bike and walked toward her.

"Hey darlin'. Thought I'd come by and offer you that ride one more time."

Tara stood there shocked. Jax had come by for her? Who was she for him to take his time to come by and offer to escort her home again? She wasn't used to this. Tara was more used to being the wallflower, watching as all the other girls in the school got what was being offered to her right now.

Was this some kind of dream? Did she wake up in an alternate universe this morning?

As she stood there, contemplating whether she should pinch herself and try to wake herself up, she heard whispers from behind.

"He's here for _her?_ She's a nobody. Look at her. There's nothing special about her."

Tara turned to see if she could determine who had commented but before she could Jax grabbed her hand and smiled. "Don't let it get to you. Just come with me. Make them eat their words."

And even though Tara had promised herself she'd never get on one of those deathmobiles, Tara looked at Jax and nodded. He handed her a helmet and she quickly pulled it on and buckled it under her chin. Swinging a leg over the seat of his bike, Jax kicked the stand up and started the motor. Tara mounted the bike behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, looking back at the crowd of her peers, smiled and held on tight as she and Jax took off, riding away from the school.


	2. Chapter 2

Riding through her hometown on the back of Jax Teller's motorcycle made Tara feel aware. Aware of the way the rumbling of the engine resonated through her whole body. Aware of the wholehearted trust put into keeping the two-wheeled machine upright. Aware of the eyes on both of them as they made their way down Main Street, Charming, California.

And Tara was very much aware of the boy seated in front of her; her arms around his torso. Once, as they stopped at the light at the end of the street, Jax tilted his head and looked back at her. Tara had never seen anyone with a smile like his. A smile that automatically made you want to smile back at him. When he winked at her before revving the engine and continuing through the green light, Tara could swear her heart stopped for a nanosecond.

Tara watched as they headed toward to end of Charming city limits. There were more trees at this end of Charming than in town. Once they passed the sign that announced they were leaving Charming City limits, Tara tensed. Where was he taking her? What ideas did he have in his head? Did he think she was just going to be willing to do whatever he wanted? With all these thoughts running through her head, Tara almost didn't notice when Jax slowed and turned onto a dirt road. It looked more like a path, it was so less traveled.

Contemplating how she was going to defend herself if need be, Tara decided she would just be straightforward with Jax and tell him she wasn't like half the other girls she went to school with. And if that meant she would be left, then she'd just walk back to town. She could do it. Maybe, hopefully, he wouldn't take them too far off the beaten path and she could walk back to the road and hitch a ride.

When the bike stopped and Jax cut the engine, Tara was awed by the sight and sound before her. It was so quiet now that the loud machine was off. Looking to her right, Tara saw that they were on the hilltop far above Charming. A meadow of tall waving, feathery grass punctuated with deep purples and brilliant golds from wildflowers such as knapweeds, thistles and buttercups. Butterflies and a few bees could be seen flying throughout, likely attracted to the sweet aromas of the blossoms.

At the end of the field there looked to be a drop off, like an overlook of sorts, which afforded a view of Charming to anyone who ventured out this way. Tara had never been up to this ridge. She had heard stories of days gone by, of how the town's teenagers used to use this area as a gathering place for things like picnics, parties, and of course, this had been used as the ultimate site for normal making out sessions. Or so the rumors told.

Tara waited while Jax dismounted the bike and held out his hand to help her off of it. As soon as she put her tiny hand in his, she felt apprehensive. Looking up into those crystal blue eyes Tara lost her train of thought for just a moment. Unbuckling the chin strap on the helmet, she handed it to Jax and smiled. Jax took the helmet and hung it on the handlebars of the bike.

"Listen, um, Jax," Tara began. "I don't know what you think is going to happen out here so far away from everything, but I can tell you I'm not that kind of girl."

Jax turned his back to her and knelt down, picking at something on the ground. He sat there for so long Tara was preparing to start walking the way they had come in. When he stood and turned back toward her, Tara was surprised to see a piece of grassweed hanging from his lips. Reaching out for her hand again, Jax looked into her eyes and asked, "Come with me?"

Fearing that she would hurt his feelings further if she refused, Tara took his hand and followed him as they strolled through the field. At the end of the field was a huge boulder. Jax lifted her petite body onto the boulder and then climbed up himself, making a seat beside where he had sat her.

"I've never brought anyone up here. This is my secret hideout. When things down there," he said, nodding his head toward the town beneath them, "I come up and here to think." Looking at Tara, he continued, "I didn't bring you up here to take advantage of you. I want to get to know you. I want you to get to know me. I won't even kiss you, unless you say it's okay."

Tara was completely taken aback at his statement. He wanted to get to know her? What did he want to know about her? There was really nothing to tell. No fancy home, no fun-filled weekends. All she did was school. And he said he wouldn't even kiss her without her permission? What did that mean? Didn't guys see kissing as innocent and no big deal? To Tara kissing a boy **_was_** a big deal. Did she want Jackson Teller to be the first boy she kissed? Well, first besides Opie. Tara and Opie had kissed a couple of times when she would hide from the wrath of her father, but they had both agreed it was more like kissing your sibling than a lover.

Looking over at Jax, who was looking out into the atmosphere Tara noticed his lips. His well-defined, kissable lips. Yea she didn't think kissing Jax would be like kissing Opie at all. She began to imagine how those luscious plump lips would feel on hers. When she began thinking of feeling his lips on her neck and feeling his breath in her ear, she had to clear her mind before her imagination got away from her.

Shifting herself to get a better view of what she was supposed to be looking at, the town below them and the beauty around them, she noticed Jax was staring at her. Oh god, what's wrong now? she wondered. Did I do something stupid? Can he read my mind and know what I was thinking? Tara looked at him and smiled nervously.

"So, what do you think?"

"Um…."

"About my little getaway. You're not going to tell Op are ya?"

"No. I'd never tell anyone about it. This is your secret place."

"Our secret place. I want to share it with you Tara. There's just something about you. I've known it for a long time now. I was outside with Opie at your house after your mom's funeral. I didn't know who you were, other than Opie's neighbor but as soon as I saw you, I felt a connection to you. Then I came with Opie to pick you up earlier, it was there again. I've never felt anything like that."

Tara thought back to the day of her mom's funeral. Opie and a group of his buddies were outside her bedroom window, smoking and goofing off. Thinking now, she did remember a young blonde haired boy in the huddle. Smiling, she looked at Jax and said, "Yea I remember seeing you."

They sat on the boulder and talked for what seemed like hours, and it probably was. They talked about everything. Tara felt so completely at ease with Jax. She listened to his stories about his over-bearing mother and his dad, who wasn't hardly ever around anymore. She sympathized with him as he spoke about the death of his younger brother, Thomas. And in turn, Jax heard her life story, the death of her mother and the rapid decline of her father with attention. He asked her about school and she asked why she had never seen him at any school function or event.

When the sun began its descent on the horizon, Jax stood up and jumped from their rock perch. Knowing she couldn't jump like he did without breaking a bone, Tara slid to the edge of the boulder, ready to ease herself down when Jax wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her from the boulder. Sitting her feet on the ground, Jax looked down into Tara's hazel-green eyes.

"Is it okay if I kiss you now?" he asked sincerely.

"Yes," was all Tara could muster as she looked up at him.

Jax's hands held her face and they locked eyes as he slowly moved in and placed his lips on her. Tara didn't know if Jax felt it, but she could've sworn the earth moved at the touch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wanted to get this out while it was fresh on my mind. Real life is going to get busy for me for the next few days so I can only hope to update no earlier than NEXT weekend (10/17ish). But please read and review...I love to hear your thoughts about this story. Love to you all :)**

 ** _I was thinkin about him, thinkin about me_** **  
** ** _Thinkin about us, where we gunna be_** **  
** ** _Open my eyes, yeah_** **  
** ** _It was only just a dream_**

That night, long after Jax had dropped her off at the corner of the street she lived on, Tara could still feel Jax's kiss. Sitting at the kitchen table, studying for a biology test, Tara kept touching her fingertips to her mouth and smiling. Knowing she'd never commit anything she was reading to memory, she closed the textbook and leaned back in the chair. Shutting her eyes, she reminisced the day's events.

Walking out of the school and seeing Jackson Teller, leaning on his bike, waiting for her. Her! Tara Grace Knowles. A nobody. A wallflower. The straight A student that **_nobody_** paid any mind. The girl was nothing more than a fleeting thought in the minds of her school mates. But there he was, in all his gorgeous glory, watching her stroll toward him.

The smile on his face when he looked at her reached all the way to his eyes. Oh, those crystal blue eyes! They watched her every move, from her clipping the helmet on to the moment he helped her down from the boulder. Tara felt butterflies take flight in her stomach as she thought of watching those beautiful blue eyes slowly close as Jax leaned into her and laid his lips on hers. The electricity of that touch! Tara still was amazed that she hadn't collapsed because her knees went weak.

Thinking back, she did know. She remembered wrapping her arms around Jax's neck as he deepened the kiss. Jax had lightly ran his tongue across her mouth, asking for entrance. And she had given it. She let him in, entangling their tongues. She wasn't even for sure when his hands had left her face but she was positive they had because he quickly enveloped her and pulled her body to his.

A knock on the back door pulled Tara from her thoughts and she rose to answer it. When she opened it she wasn't surprised to see Opie looming in the doorway.

"What's this I hear about you riding through town on the back of Jax's bike, T?"

"He offered to bring me home, Op." Tara wasn't about to admit that she only did it because of their classmates disbelief. She didn't think that factor would much appease the hurt she say in her longtime friend's eyes.

"School let out at 3 and you weren't home at 7 when I got home. The windows were all dark. T, don't lie to me. I know it was more than just a ride home."

"Opie, I'm sorry. I truly am. I know you've begged and begged to take me riding and I've always rejected it. I was always scared of those death machines," Tara began explaining, going to the fridge and retrieving two cold Pepsi's. "And I still am but I couldn't exactly turn him down. I have a feeling that friend of yours would've kept hounding me."

Tara sat back down at the table, placing a soda in front of her and the other at the other seat at the table. Opie walked over and sat down. They simultaneously popped the tabs and took drinks.

Opie sighed, running a hand over his hair. "T, that's not….I mean, yea okay you rode on his bike. I know how Jax is. You and he were gone for almost 5 hours! I just want to make sure he didn't do anything I'd have to kick his ass for."

Tara watched Opie take another swig of soda, grateful that he wanted to look out for her and relieved that he wasn't pissed.

"Jax was a perfect gentleman."

Spitting his drink out all over the table, Opie almost choked. "Perfect gentleman?! Are you sure we are talking about the same Jax Teller?"

Tara laughed as she handed Opie a napkin and grabbed another to wipe off the table. "The one and the same. Yes, Opie. He never even tried to kiss me until I gave him permission. We went somewhere and did nothing but talk. Like I said perfect gentleman."

Opie shook his head and laughed, "Jackson Teller and gentleman are two words I never thought I'd hear in the same sentence.

After Opie left, Tara got back to trying to study again but was quickly distracted by her father stumbling through the front door and barely making it to his recliner before he passed out and began snoring loudly. Knowing it was useless to try and concentrate with such noise, Tara gathered up her books and went to her room.

Laying across the bed, she began reading about cell theory. She was pretty sure she was going to ace this test, just as she had done the last two tests she'd had so far so she began doodling in her notebook. Before she knew it, the page was full of hearts with arrows through them with Jax's name written all over. Tara was surprised to see that at some point she had even written Tara Knowles Teller on the page. Feeling embarrassed that she had let her mind wander so far, she tore the page out of the notepad and crumpled it up, tossing it in the wastebasket beside her nightstand.

The phone on the nightstand began to ring about the same time that the wad of notebook paper hit the rim of the basket and fell in. Jumping to grab it before the shrill woke her dad, Tara was surprised at the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey. Just wanted to call and check on you. Did you make it inside okay?"

"Hey Jax. Yea, I've been studying. Opie came over to check on me and my dad is in the other room sleeping. Did you make it home okay?"

"Of course. But I got my ass reamed out for taking off without finishing my shift at the garage. Mom is not very happy with me right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry Jax. I should've had you bring me straight home so you could finish your job."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Besides, she'll get over it. I'll just be sure to get all my work caught up before I come pick you up after school tomorrow."

"Jax, you don't have to do that. I can make it home just fine on my own. Been doing it for years."

"I want to do it Tara. I like spending time and getting to know you. Like I said, as long as I get all my work caught up and don't leave anything for her to bitch about, it'll be fine."

Tara smiled, knowing that Jax was going to be outside school again tomorrow afternoon and that he wanted to spend time with her. She could feel the goosebumps pop up on her arm.

"Jackson Nathaniel Teller, are you on the phone? I told you you were grounded! That means no phone privileges!"

"Shit, gotta go Tara. See you tomorrow." And the line went dead. Tara replaced the phone on its base on the nightstand and stared at it. Jax Teller was breaking all the rules to spend time with her. Pinching herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, Tara was thrilled when the red mark on her arm appeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months….**

 **Four months later**

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, Tara busily tried curling her hair like she'd seen most of the females at school do. She'd already burnt her scalp twice with the hot curling rod but she wanted to look pretty for Jax when he picked her up after school.

Happy with the finished look, she doused her hair in hairspray and started on her make-up. It had been years since she had actually worn make-up to school but, once again, she wanted to look her best for Jax.

Walking into the school an hour later, Tara was not expecting anyone to pay her any attention, let alone all the stares and whispers that apparently were taking place as she walked by. Holding her head up, she proceeded to her locker to get books for her first two classes.

She realized, as she got closer to her locker, that even more of her school mates were hanging around, like they were awaiting her. As soon as got to her locker, though, she noticed something wasn't right. Something was off. Everyone was smiling, genuine smiles, at her.

A dark-haired girl whom Tara knew as Christina, walked up to her. "What's so great about you? What does he see in you?"

"Wha-? What do you mean? Who?" Tara asked.

"You know who. Jackson Teller. He can have his pick of any girl in Charming and he picks you? The nerdy quiet girl in school. I just don't get it."

Tara hugged her books to her chest and walked around Christina to proceed to her locker, deciding to try not to let the girl's words get to her.

Once she was finished putting everything in her locker and shut the door, she noticed that no one else was really paying any attention to her anymore. Thank god, she thought. I just want to get through this day and ride off with Jax.

But in 4th period, right before the lunch bell, another girl named April sat down next to her. Tara knew April because they'd been in other classes together. April was a petite red head who, like Tara, was one of the quiet ones that seemed to put all her efforts into her school work. Although they'd been in classes together, April had never really paid much attention to Tara and vice-versa.

"Hey," April said, quietly. "You're Tara, right?"

"Um, yea. And your name is April."

"Yes," April responded, smiling.

The teacher was instructing the class on what the assignment for that night's homework was and Tara was trying to concentrate on that but she could feel April's eyes boring into her. She glanced to her left and noticed that April was actually sitting there, smiling like a lunatic at Tara not paying attention to the teacher's directions at all.

When Tara was finished writing her notes for the class, she took another glimpse of April. The girl was finally looking away from Tara and out the window, still with a bigger smile on her face than before. Tara looked to see what April was seeing. Outside the window, in the parking lot of the school were four or five motorcycles lined up in a row. Tara immediately recognized Jax and Opie's bikes. Standing not far from their bikes were Opie and Jax, along with three other men, clad in leather and boots.

As soon as the bell rang to dismiss for lunch, Tara quickly closed up her book and rushed to the door that led outside to the parking lot. She wasn't expecting to see Jax so early today but she wasn't going to question it. She was just going to enjoy getting to spend the extra time with him.

As soon as she reached the edge of the lot, Jax noticed her and jogged over, with Opie not too far behind.

"Hey beautiful," Jax said, kissing Tara on the cheek. Looking behind him, Tara saw Opie cringe. He still wasn't accustomed to the fact that his best friend and his neighbor were together.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Tara asked, the quickly added, "Not that I'm not happy to see you."

Jax smiled at her but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Tara could tell something was wrong. She began feeling nauseous. Did he come here to break up with her? Tara began doubting herself. She'd never really had a boyfriend and she would admit she didn't really know how to act with one. She just knew she had stuck to her guns and other than some serious "petting" sessions, she and Jax still hadn't slept together.

"T-," Opie said, and Tara knew something was up just by the way his voice sounded.

"Babe, we gotta head out of town for a few days. Something's come up and the club has to go take care of it. Dad wants me to go because, as he says, one day this will all be mine. It's my _legacy._ "

"The club? What's going on that a bunch of men on bikes has to run out of town?"

"We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you." Opie said, jokingly earning him an elbow to the ribs from Jax.

"I don't really know sweetie. All's I know is we gotta go to a place called Indian Hills and help out a friend of my dad's from the war, Uncle Jury."

Tara looked up into Jax's eyes, feeling disappointed. She had been looking forward to their daily evening ride.

One of the guys from the group across the lot yelled at Jax and Opie to get the show on the road. Opie turned to head back to the group as Jax pulled Tara to him and hugged her tight.

"I'll be back before you even miss me."

"I doubt that. I already miss you."

Jax lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. He immediately deepened the kiss by snaking his tongue into her mouth and tangled with hers.

As fast as the kiss happened, though, it ended. Jax grabbed Tara's hand and squeezed it before jogging back across the parking lot and to his fellow bikers. Tara watched as he pulled on a leather vest with the infamous Grim Reaper logo on it, but unlike the others, the logo was the only thing on the back of Jax's vest. Tara realized that Opie had on a vest just like Jax's, with only the big ugly logo on the back. The others had words above and below the logo.

Watching the bikers one by one hop on their bikes, start them up and take off, Tara felt like crying. For four months now she had spent every single evening on the back of Jax's bike and with him at their secret hiding place. Today she was going to have to walk home alone. Alone at home. She had been hoping those days were over.

Tara turned to go back into the school and almost ran into April, who had been standing close by.

"So you **do** know Jackson and Harry?"

"Yes. So what?"

"I want to meet them too? Do you think you could introduce me? Harry's so hot!"

It all made sense now. The reason April had sat with her in Economics class. Why she was outside, when the only other person outside right now was Tara. April had a crush on Opie! Tara couldn't really ever see Opie going for someone as quiet and timid as April, she did think it was a good idea for Opie to have interactions with another female, other than her.

Laughing, Tara looked at April and said, "Sure. Why not? But you're going to have to wait. They just went out of town."

 **So. let me know what you think...Also, yes John Teller is still alive! This is teenage J/T so it's set in the early 90's (like 91-92) and John was still alive then.**

 **ALSO, if you have an idea of something you'd like to see happen with this couple, message me and I'll try to work it in.**

 **Thanks for the reviews on this story so far. And if any of you have been reading "What A Gem" and waiting on an update, I got good news...husand goes back on night shift next week so that story should be updated within the next two weeks :)**


	5. Chapter 5-Insight

**Ok gals. Here's an update. I felt so bad about missing my promised deadline that as soon as I was done with the week's class work, I jumped right into getting this out. I had an outline of what I wanted to happen in this chapter but once I started typing, it took on a while life of its own and went in another whole direction. Hope you guys enjoy and since what I had come up with wasn't even in this chapter, another chapter MIGHT be posted before the end of the weekend. Fingers crossed.**

 **Oh and for anyone interested, my grade for my first quiz of the newest course was a 90%! WooHoo**

 **Now, read, enjoy and don't forget to review.**

 **Actually, I'm going to say if I can get 10 reviews on this one chapter, I will stay up all night Saturday night and get the next chapter written and posted. So tell me what you think. What you like, what you don't like...just something. Reviews feed my muse.**

 **Friday afternoon**

The rest of the day Tara couldn't keep her mind on her classes. All the teacher sounded to her like the teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons, all she heard was "Blah, blah, blah." Here it was Friday and Jax was going to be out of town. Tara was contemplating what she would do to pass the time until he returned.

Should she try to study for her Chem test she knew was coming up Monday? Should she put all her energy into cleaning the house while her dad was off on one of his binges? Two whole days without seeing or talking to her boyfriend? _Boyfriend._ That word sounded so strange to Tara. She'd never had an actual boyfriend. Only Opie, but they were only friends. Like brother, sister kind of friends. Brother and sister who got along and hardly ever had a bad thing to say to one another.

Tara unlocked the front door to her house and walked in, sitting her bag on the table beside the couch. Standing there, looking around the small living room that seemed even smaller because her dad was becoming somewhat of a packrat, Tara tried to even remember the walk home from school. She had been in such a daze she realized she didn't remember going to her locker after 7th period or even leaving the school and walking home across town.

 **Friday night**

Tara woke to the shrill of the phone on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she answered, immediately jerking the phone from her ear. Whoever was calling there was some type of commotion going on in the background. Loud music and voices shouting. Sounded like a party. Oh god, Tara thought, Dad's calling me from some dive in town again.

"Miss me yet?" she heard as she put the phone back to her ear.

"Jax?" Tara said, sitting up in bed with a smile on her face.

"Damn, girl. How many guys call you in the middle of the night asking if you miss them?"

Laughing, Tara answered, "Only you, Jackson."

"God, I love it when you call me by my name. Say it again."

"Jaaacckssssonnnn." Tara drew out his name, ending on a giggle.

"Fuck! Woman, you are driving me insane. I wish I wasn't all the way here in Nevada. I'd be over there in a heartbeat, crawling through your window."

"Oh yea? And what makes you think I would unlock so-called window?"

"Oh I'm sure for me you would. I stand there and tap on it until you relented. Then I'd wrap my arms around you and kiss you to insanity."

"Pretty sure of yourself there, aren't you Jax?" Tara said, trying to hide the smile on her face.

Suddenly Tara heard a woman scream and men shouting.

"What's going on?"

"Shit! Tig done went and freak out one of Uncle Jury's sweetbutts. Hold on," Jax said, sounding annoyed. "I'm taking the phone into another room, away from all the action."

Tara was intrigued. She had never asked many questions about the motorcycle club Jax was a part of. She did know that his dad, John "JT" and some of the older guys had been in trouble with the police a couple of times. Tara had always tried not to listen to gossip when she was out and about around town, but usually when the Sons of Anarchy drove through town on their bikes, it caused people to want to start talking about the latest scandal involving the club.

"Jax, what's a sweetbutt?" Tara asked, almost apprehensive about the answer.

"A sweetbutt? Did I say that? Oh, I meant niece. One of Uncle Jury's nieces." Jax said. Tara could tell he was trying to cover his tracks. She'd have to remember to ask Opie what a sweetbutt was next time they talked.

"So, what are you wearing?" Jax said, after what sounded like a door closing.

"Black lace nightie and fishnet stockings."

Jax groaned into the phone. "You're messing with me! You better not be wearing something like that without me being around to see you in it."

Tara laughed into the phone. "Jax, I don't even own clothing like that. I'm in a t-shirt and a pair of cut off sweatpants."

"But I bet you're still sexy." Jax breathed heavily into the phone. "I'm imagining you right now. Sitting in your bed, covers around your waist, hair in a ponytail. T, you are so damn sexy. Sexy as hell! I wish I was with you right now."

"I do too, Jax. I miss you so much."

From what Tara could tell, the door to whatever room Jax was in opened because just for a second the background noise amplified.

"Dude, can't you see I'm on the phone. Why you gotta pull your junk out in front of me?!"

"It's a restroom and I have to take a piss." Tara recognized Opie's voice. "Is that T? Tell her you're being a good little boy and turning down all advantages of being on a run. Man, I've never seen so many chicks in one place."

Jax must've put his hand over the receiver because the conversation was muffled but she could tell Jax and Opie was having a hushed argument.

What did Opie mean about "so many chicks in one place"? Exactly what happened on one of these so-called runs that the club took? Trying to listen and decipher what was being said between the two, Tara heard something that surprised her.

"I'm not sleeping with anyone. I don't care how much they throw themselves at me. I'm saving myself. Yes, for Tara!"

Tara couldn't hear Opie's response but she heard his laughter after whatever he had said.

Becoming clear again, Jax voice was back in her ear.

"Sorry about that, babe. The phone would only reach the bathroom."

"It's okay Jax. But I'm worried. I wasn't eavesdropping but what do you mean, girls are throwing themselves at you? What exactly is going on?"

"Don't worry. I'll explain it all to you when I get back. Just know I love you and I can't wait to see you Sunday."

"I love you too Jackson."

"I better get off here and leave the bathroom before someone has to come in here for more than a piss." Jax said, laughing.

"Okay. Oh, by the way, one of the girls I go to school with wants to meet Opie. But don't tell him just yet."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

Tara hung the phone's handset back on the base and stretched back out in the bed. Going to sleep wasn't hard to come by. All she had to do was close her eyes and dream of Jax.


	6. Chapter 6-Hey Bartender (Hed PE song)

**Wow! I really wasn't expecting to get 10 reviews...So here is the next chapter. And OMG, once again, once I started typing it took on a life of its own and this is not at all what I had written in my notebook. Well, the first part is but after a couple of reviewers commented that they needed clarification of some things, I decided to go ahead and put it in here now instead of letting it come out later on...**

 **Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Don't forget to review...Reviews feed the muse!**

 **Saturday morning (Charming CA)**

Tara woke up mid-morning with a smile on her face. Between the late-night phone call and the dreams she'd had of Jax, she knew today was going to be a good day. Nothing was going to put a damper on it.

She got out of bed and changed into one of Jax's old t-shirts that she'd secretly confiscated once when they were together and a pair of jean shorts. Today was cleaning day and she wanted to be comfortable.

Opening the refrigerator, Tara took out the milk and grabbed the box of Cheerios from the counter. She sat them on the table and turned to get a bowl out of the cabinet. "Can't start a long day of housework without the O's," Tara said to herself.

As she was sitting there eating her cereal, Howard walked through and went straight for the cupboard above the sink. That's where he kept his stash of liquor.

"Dad, why don't you sit down and eat something? You know, _real_ food. Not the usual liquid diet."

"I don't need food, Tara. I got all I need right here," he answered, holding up the almost empty bottle of George Dickel. "Ol' George and I are going to go in the living room and relax while watching the tube."

Howard retreated to his precious recliner and clicked the television on.

Tara finished her breakfast and put the bowl and spoon in the sink and the milk back in the fridge. Time to start the weekly laundry, she thought as she walked back toward the bathroom where the hamper was kept.

When the phone rang as she was placing folded laundry into her dresser, Tara hoped it was Jax again. She ran to her bed and jumped on it, laying on her stomach as she answered the call.

"Hello." She said in as much as a sexy voice as she could muster without giggling.

"Can I speak to Tara, please?" a feminine voice came over the line, disappointing Tara.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Friday night/Saturday morning (Indian Hills NV)**

After hanging up the phone from talking to Tara, Jax joined his dad and Opie's dad, Piney and some of the other guys of the Sons of Anarchy at the bar. The sweet butt behind the bar strutted over to him and leaned her elbows onto the bar, giving Jax a full view of her easily size D breasts. "Anything I can get for you sweetie?" she asked him, pulling her elbows closer to her body to make her breasts squeeze together when she saw that he was staring down the low v of her shirt.

"Just a soda, Pandie. This boy's not old enough for the hard stuff yet," Jury said as he walked up to Jax and slapped him on the shoulder. "Jackson, I just can't get used to seeing you running with the big dogs. Last time I saw you, you were about this high," Jury held his hand out about 3 foot from the floor. "You've done went and grew up!"

Jackson smiled at Jury. He was so glad to finally be a part of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club. For as long as he could remember, he dreamt of riding alongside his father, going on the trips his dad seemed to always be leaving for. Now it was reality. A dream come true. Jax and Opie had grown up together, fascinated and intrigued about their fathers' pastime, hoping one day to get to be a part of and experience the life on a Harley as his dad called it.

Jax was only a few months older than Opie and for their 14th birthdays, they both received fixer-upper motorbikes. Both of the boys instantly fell in love with their present and spent every waking moment at the garage, tinkering and repairing until the bikes were road-ready.

Dads and sons took off on a half-day ride once the bikes were finished just to give the boys a small taste of the open road. They had all been ecstatic and after that one ride Jax had it in his blood. The feel of the power beneath him, the speed he could go, the wind in his face. It was the best thing he had ever felt.

Now here they were 17 years old and on their very first official club run. Jax turned on the bar stool and leaned back against the bar. This wasn't what he pictured the club runs entailing. A bar full of men from all walks of life and enough scantily-clad women for each to have two.

At the pool table was Bobby, rubbing up on a blonde, whispering something in her ear. Alex "Tig" was sitting in a chair in the corner getting a lap dance from some brunette who had apparently had plastic surgery because no one had a body like that.

Clay, Piney and JT were huddled in the middle of the room, each with a bottle of beer. Jax looked around for Opie but didn't see him. He sat his empty soda on the counter and started to stand when Pandie appeared out of thin air. "Leaving so soon? We were just getting acquainted," she said, running her fingers up and down his forearm. "Why don't you sit here and talk to me. It gets awful lonely back here behind the bar." Jax could tell she was giving him her best pouty face.

"I need to find Opie. Have you seen him?" Jax wasn't really interested in what Pandie was offering. Not that he didn't want it, he just didn't want it from someone who looked old enough to be his mother.

"Tall guy? I think he's in one of the dorm rooms with Trisha."

Jax stood from the stool and started toward the hallways that led to the rooms they were bunked in. As he neared the room Opie was occupying, he laughed. There hanging on the doorknob was a bright pink lacy bra. Knowing not to bother his best friend, he sat beside the door and lit a cigarette.

When the door opened and Trisha walked out she stopped short, seeing him sitting there on the floor of the hallway. Grabbing her bra, she smiled and winked at him and continued back toward the main room of the building.

Jax knocked and opened the door to Opie pulling his shirt down his chest. "I guess these rooms do come in handy, huh?" Jax said.

Opie looked at him and laughed. "That's the best sex I've ever had!"

"You've never even had sex!"

"That you know about," Opie said, walking into the adjoining bathroom. "Remember Lucy?"

"Loosy Lucy? No, you didn't!"

Lucy was one of the hang around at the club house in Charming. She'd shown up one day looking for a job and his mom, Gemma, had hired her on to clean the clubhouse and the back rooms after the wile parties that his dad would throw. Lucy got her nickname by being, well, loose. She'd been with almost every guy in the Charming charter and a couple of the visiting charters.

Coming back into the room, Opie looked at Jax and grinned. "Yep about a year ago. I went to the clubhouse looking for my old man and found her in one of the rooms, changing the sheets on the bed. I walked in and there she was bent over trying to get the sheet back onto the mattress. So I offered to help."

"And you never told me this story? So how does offering to help put a sheet on a bed get you fucked?"

"When I spoke up and offered to help, it scared her and she jumped. So I touched her to calm her down and then next thing I know we were kissing and she had her hand on my dick. It just went from there."

"I cannot believe you never fucking told me!"

"Contrary to your belief, I do not tell you everything," Opie said, throwing an empty cigarette pack at him.

"Yea, well, I banged her too," Jax said, throwing the pack back at Opie who had sat on the bed.

"When?"

"About the same time you did. About a year ago. Mom sent me to the garage to pick up a folder that was in the office and Lucy was outside having a smoke when I pulled in. I spoke to her but then went about the errand I was sent on. I was in Mom's office, shifting through papers trying to find what I was sent after and she walked in and shut the door behind her and locked it." Jax paused long enough to pull another cigarette out of the pack in his pocket and lit it.

"She was acting so meek, like I didn't know she'd already been with half the club. Asked me if everything was okay and said I looked tense. Offered to rub my shoulders so I thought what the hell, can't find that stupid folder, might as well enjoy a massage. So I sat in mom's chair and next thing I know she's in my lap, whispering in my ear how she's had her eye on me for a while now and how she just knows I'd be able to fulfill her fantasy. Apparently sleeping with the son of the president was very high on her list. She rode me right there in the office in Mom's chair. Never did find that fucking folder though," Jax laughed.

"Holy hell! She used that same damn line on me, sleeping with the son of one of the founding members was her biggest fantasy."

They both laughed. Opie stood up and walked toward the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned and looked at Jax and said, "You realize we were patched in not long after that. Maybe Loosy Lucy is the initiation.

"And what was that last night, 'I'm saving myself for Tara' bullshit?"

"Brownie points man, brownie points. She could hear our conversation. I want her to think I'm good and decent and a gentleman."

"Shit man! T could hear us, you really think so? Shit, I'm going to get an earful when we get back to Charming. I've corrupted her _perfect gentleman_. Talking about all the chicks and all the action last night. I thought you had the phone covered?"

"I did. But my hand isn't sound proof. Now, let's go out there and get in on some of the action before we get accused of being back here together, together."

They both laughed and left the room to go back to the main room/bar area to mingle with everyone else.


	7. An Update But Not An Update

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know what is going on with How Tara Met Jax. Unfortunately, not long after my schooling ended my laptop decided it had had enough and just up and quit on me one day. I am at a friend's house right now and thought I'd better get on here and let you all know that as soon as I can get another laptop, I WILL update my story. Are there even people still reading (and waiting on an update)? Please send me a message if you are at my email

austin_momma93


	8. Chapter 8

**Guess who's back... so, short chapter but bear with me please. I'm trying to get back into the hang of things. Please enjoy this lil tidbit and don't forget to review. Reviews will help me get back on track, hopefully!!!**

Tara tried to hide the disappointment in her voice as she talked to April about plans to go to the mall that evening. It wasn't hard because she mostly listened as April droned on and on about it. Tara barely had time to agree with one thing before April was talking excitedly about something else.

"I'm so glad we're friends now, Tara. Most of the girls at school ignore me."

"Yea, well.."

"So, I hear JC Penney's is having a sale on their makeup this week. We so have to check that out!"

"Ya know, April, I'm not that much into wearing makeup..."Tara began.

"Oh, pssh, who isnt into makeup?! Trust me Tara, I can show you what to buy and how to apply it to make Jackson swoon. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!!"

Tara rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Maybe April had a point. Dolling herself up a bit couldn't hurt, right? Maybe it would even help. After all, Jax did say girls were always throwing themselves at him.

"So, I'll come by and pick you up around 5, ok?"

Focusing back on the conversation, Tara said, "You know what,April. I'll meet you at the Corner Spot okay? "

"Ok, see you then. Bye bestie." And with that the line went dead.

Throwing another load of laundry in the washer, Tara contemplated how she was going to shop with her new "best friend" without letting on that she didnt have a whole lot of money to spend. Howard always spent the majority of their money on booze. She knew she had a bit of money stashed away that she'd saved up but was unsure if she really wanted to spend it on makeup, the one thing she rarely used.

Tara turned and looked in the mirror. The plain jane face looking back at her made her question exactly what Jax saw. Her green eyes were ordinary; her nose, nothing special about it; and her mouth, well her mouth was just a set of lips. Not too thin but not plump either. So many of the girls at school always seem to try to illuminate their eyes and lips but Tara has always thought herself a rebel. "Shit, who am I kidding," Tara mumbled to herself as she repositioned her brown hair into a ponytail. "I never thought about makeup because I never wanted the attention."


End file.
